This invention relates to ice and water-protection membranes adapted to be positioned over the eaves of sloped roofs.
In construction of sloped roofs on buildings, it is of course necessary to protect the plywood, masonry, metal or other roof surface from degradative environmental forces such as ice and water.
In a typical roofing system, the ends of the slope are protected by a so-called ice and water-protection membrane comprising a water-impermeable backing material carrying a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer for securing the protective membrane to the roof surface. These adhesive-containing membranes may for example, be on the order of three feet or more in width and may typically be on the order of 40 mils or thicker. They generally come in rolls and are applied across the length of the lower edges of the roof slope.
A vapor barrier such as tar paper or the like is then secured to the roof extending over the peak or ridge of the roof and to the edges of the thus applied membranes to cover the remainder of the exposed surface of the plywood or other roof surface, after which shingles or other surface material of choice is laid down to complete the roofing construction.
If the membranes to which this invention is directed have a smooth outer surface, it presents a safety hazard to the workmen installing the roofing material. Because of its positioning at the lower edges of the slope, it sometimes happens that a workman will slip on the membrane surface and, with nothing to hold onto to stop his fall, will then slide off the roof.
A logical answer to this problem would be to provide a texturized or roughened outer surface for better traction. While this solution may be easy to deduce, the manufacture of such a product on commercial scale and in a viable, competitive cost-effective manner is not a simple task.
It is to this problem which the present invention relates. The task of the present invention, stated simply, is to provide an efficient and cost-effective system for the manufacture of ice and water-protection membranes adapted for placement under the eaves of sloping roofs, which membranes have a non-smooth outer surface adapted for providing the traction necessary to inhibit, if not precluding entirely, the danger of workmen slipping and falling during roofing construction.